


Give Me Love

by Eccentric_Grace



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Crushes, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie knows Richie likes him, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Insecurities, Love Confessions, M/M, Maggie Tozier Knows All, Maggie is everybody’s mom, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie and Eddie both dumb, Supportive Maggie Tozier, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, he likes him back obviously, soft angst, this will be a short story!, what a shock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:13:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24087178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eccentric_Grace/pseuds/Eccentric_Grace
Summary: “So, like, who helped convince you to confess your undying love for me?”“Your mom.”“Eds gets off a good one! Haha, very funny.”“No, literally.”
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Maggie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 11
Kudos: 161





	1. crushes, fear, and maggie tozier

**Author's Note:**

> yes, the title is from an Ed Sheeran song

Eddie knew.

It wasn’t terribly obvious, really. None of the Losers other than maybe Stan could have guessed.

Maybe it was the way Richie made sure nobody was looking whenever he would glance at Eddie, or the way that Richie’s voice would soften late at night when it was just the two of them awake.

Nonetheless, Eddie knew.

He’s known for a few weeks, and to be quite honest, he had no idea what to do.

Liking anybody as Eddie Kaspbrak was a feat, but Richie Tozier especially. If his mother asked him who he had fancied, the answer was going to have to be entirely fabricated. This is because, even if he described Richie using pronouns that his mother wouldn’t freak out about, no girl in town was like Richie; and his mom knew every girl in town.

Eddie had been itching uncomfortably to tell someone that he didn’t like girls for MONTHS, and he knew that telling his mother was a no-go. (He especially wanted to tell her whenever she brought up some church girl named Myra. It was getting really annoying.)

He thought he was the only one. So when he figured out that Richie had a crush on him, his heart sung and his face flushed.

Soon enough, months had passed since he figured it out and his crush grew to become something he was scared to handle. He knew he loved Richie. (He knew he loved all his friends of course, but Richie was different. Richie was always different.)

And as his love grew, he could see Richie fall apart; Moment by moment. Day by day. His smiles grew dimmer, his punchlines were weaker, and any comment towards Eddie had his voice sounding as if washed in a sad current.

It hurt. It stung worse than a severe frostbite in one of Maine’s colder winters. It twisted and tore at his fragile heart, and all he could do is watch.

Fear was a powerful thing. Eddie—and all of the Losers for that matter—knew that first-hand. But this was different than a killer alien clown. This was directly personal. Eddie had a long list of fears, and the subcategory of the ones about Richie grew constantly.

There was a lot to be scared of. Eddie could tell Richie how he feels, sure, but what if Richie gets angry at him?

“You fucking knew this whole time?” Imaginary Richie spat from the top of the quarry. “I can’t fucking believe you. You disgust me.”

“I’m so sorry,” Eddie would try to plead. “I wanted to say something, I did! You have to believe me, Richie!”

“I lost sleep over you,” Imaginary Richie would continue, his voice sounding full of rocks and gravel. Something of pure malice. “I cried for months, and you knew this whole time.”

Or maybe he tells Richie he likes him and it goes fantastic. Months would go by, maybe even years of a happy relationship. Then it would hit them. Yes, then it would crash and burn. They would separate, and Eddie imagines himself sitting alone in what he pictures an apartment to look like if future-him moves in with future-Richie. It’s awful, and he can practically taste the salt of tears that haven’t even fallen.

Losing him wasn’t a viable option.

But the worst fear he has, is if he does nothing. AKA, the current situation.

Watching Richie in pain is the worst thing that Eddie has ever endured. He’s seen Richie cry before. All of the Losers have seen each other cry. But to look at the tears welling up in Richie’s eyes, just before he turns away to hide them, with the knowledge he could have stopped his pain hurts more than any broken bone he’d ever have.

He wishes he could just say something, and stop his pain. Fear courses strongly through his veins, running his body like a prison. ‘I’m sorry you have to wait for me to be brave,’ he thinks to Richie one night as the guilty tears dry on his face. Of course, Richie doesn’t hear it.

A week passes from that night, and Eddie decides he’s finally had it with the fear.

Two hours earlier, Richie had been sitting in the hammock far past the ten-minute mark as usual, and when Eddie went to follow their usual routine (wrestling himself next to Richie in the hammock while trying to act as annoyed as humanly possible), Richie had simply just gotten up to sit on the floor.

Eddie had dropped his jaw and then quickly hid his shock. “You’re finally getting the rules, Trashmouth?”

“You know it, Eddie,” Richie says simply, opening his comic book and ignoring the stares of everyone else in the clubhouse.

Oh, Eddie didn’t like that. Richie wasn’t acting in his normal flirty self, and Eddie knew for a fact that it was his fault. So, he excused himself from the Losers’ next activity and left the clubhouse.

Making sure nobody was following him, he turns and goes straight to the only place he feels safe to talk.

Eddie obviously had a mother already. But if he had to decide, Maggie Tozier was one of the coolest moms out there. Some nights it felt as though Maggie was more of a mother to him than his own.

He had known her for years, and she’s adopted him and all of Richie’s other friends as her own children, more or less. She always had the coolest snacks on hand, let them watch horror movies until early morning when they slept over, and also was wise with open-minded advice. The latter was precisely what Eddie needed.

Which brings us to now, where Eddie is knocking on Mrs. Tozier’s front door.

The door swings open, and Maggie glances down at the boy. “Eddie,” she smiles. “You hiding from Rich?”

She steps aside and Eddie enters the house whilst shaking his head. “No, nothing like that. Well—Sort of. Honestly Maggie, I wanted to talk to somebody. Are you busy?”

“No, I’m perfectly free.” Maggie opens the laundry room door. “Step into my office.”

Eddie wipes his hands on his pants. He’s nervous. “Is this where you usually hide from Richie?” He asks in a forced amusement; a lame attempt to calm his nerves.

“Maybe,” Maggie sits up on the washing machine, patting the spot next to her. Once Eddie joins her on top of the laundry machine, Maggie smiles. “So. What did you want to talk about?”

Eddie fidgets with the fabric of his shirt. “I have a problem. And I can’t tell anyone about it.”

Maggie considers this for a moment. “Are you in any danger?”

Eddie shakes his head. 

“Well, then your secret is safe with me,” Maggie says with a trusting tone. It makes Eddie want to cry. “So? What’s the problem, Eddie?”

“I like somebody,” He explains slowly, his eyes carefully watching for any kind of negative response in Maggie’s demeanor. There isn’t, so he continues. “I really really like them, and I know they like me. But I can’t tell them, and it’s tearing them up from the inside. I don’t know what to do.”

Maggie hums, looking off thoughtfully. She turns back to Eddie. “Why aren’t you able to tell him?”

Eddie’s breath stops, and he feels like he’s been plunged in ice water. He made sure not to say “he”. He isn’t shocked Maggie figured it out, but still. Despite his now-quickly pumping heart, he swallows and continues. “Well... I don’t want to lose him. I’m scared.”

“He likes you back, you said?” Maggie asks. He nods. “Well, then I don’t see how he could be upset. He likes you, you like him... If you don’t want to lose him, tell him. If he runs away, ditch him. He isn’t worth it.”

Eddie considers this, looking down at his lap. “I think I love him, Mrs. Tozier.”

Maggie smiles softly, and Eddie finds it akin to an unspoken promise. “Yeah?”

Eddie nods. “Yeah.”

“Then go for it, kid.”

A comfortable silence falls over them, and Eddie leans forward and hugs her tightly. “Thank you.”

Maggie smiles brighter, her eyes crinkling on the ends. She hugs him back. “You’re always welcome here, Eddie. Don’t forget it.”

“How did you know?” Eddie asks suddenly. 

He doesn’t specify, but Maggie seems to know what he’s talking about either way. “I’ve seen the way you look at each other,” She says after a beat of silence. “Your mom probably won’t ever see it, with her closed mind and her rules of not letting you go out very often, and your friends won’t either. They’re young. You all are. But I’ve seen that look. It’s the same one Went gave me at our 9th grade dance. That’s true love. Hold on to it.”

Eddie nods, his entire head buzzing and numb by the unexpected honesty. “I will. I promise.”

Maggie pulls away and hops off the washing machine. She opens the laundry room door with a proud grin. “Now go get your boy.”

Eddie doesn’t need to be told twice, and he starts his journey back to the clubhouse.

He opens the front door of the Tozier residence, now sporting a new-found confidence that washes over his fears. All he needs to do his tell him, then everything will be okay again.

Richie stands there, his face screwed up in confusion and his hand out as if he was about to open the door himself.

“What the fuck are you doing at my house?”


	2. confessions, kisses, and grass

Richie Tozier was always fidgeting. He never noticed it, but his toe was always tapping or his fingers were always wiggling and drumming, as if his blood was desperate for his body to move.

This was exactly what he was doing now, as they sat on a porch swing in the backyard of the Tozier residence.

Eddie, in the meantime, feels as though his chest was going to explode from the pressure. He knew that he had to tell him. This was the moment. If he didn’t say it now, he would never say anything and regret it forever.

“So, uh.” Eddie starts. “You’re probably wondering why I’m at your house.”

“Yeah, it’s fuckin’ weird you’re here, dude—“ 

“I know!” Eddie sighs, looking down. “I just needed some advice, uh... I needed some advice on something.”

Richie is quiet in his confusion for a moment before speaking in his usual hyped up joking voice. “Advice on what? How to date my mom?”

“Shut up, Richie. I’m serious. This is serious.”

Richie’s joking demeanor fades near immediately, and he looks nervous. His eyes fight to stay focused on Eddie, wanting badly to dance away from the boy and stare at the floor, or his shoes, or anything else.

The nerves weren’t just on Richie, but on Eddie as well. The tightness in his chest only seemed to grow worse, and Eddie tried to remember what the symptoms of a heart attack were. As he sits even more tensely in the wooden swing, his hand instinctively tries to reach for an inhaler that no longer was there.

“Uh,” Richie says lamely. He pushes his glasses up his face; another nervous tick that he gathered over the years. “Um. Okay. What advice did you have to ask?” 

“Promise you won’t make fun?” Eddie fidgets with his belt loop. His heart was pounding out of his chest, all he could do was stare directly into Richie’s eyes and hope for the best.

Richie furrows his eyebrows. “Uh. Sure? I guess not. I mean, if it’s really embarrassing I might laugh.” He blabbers honestly, genuinely trying to listen to Eddie.

“I was asking how to tell your crush you like them.” Eddie finally forces the sentence out with his tongue, and he claws his fingertips into the edge of the swing.

Looking into Richie’s eyes, he looked... Sad. Yes, sad was the correct word. Sad, like all the times that Richie felt hopeless about Eddie liking him back. Sad, like the whole reason that Eddie wanted to tell him in the first place.

“Oh,” Richie says after a beat. He looks down. His shoulders sagged, and Eddie has never seen someone look so stormy on a bright sunny day. “Yeah. My mom does give good advice for that sorta thing.”

“She does.”

There’s some more silence, and they haven’t moved. Richie hasn’t looked up. Eddie hasn’t looked away. They sit still, and everything is suddenly counting on Eddie. 

‘Say something else!’ His thoughts scream in his ear, sounding like a powerful static that blocks out any other thought. It fits in with his too-fast beating heart like a horrific symphony. ‘Tell him! Tell him! Tell him!’

Eddie forces himself forward and smushes his lips on Richie’s cheek.

It happens in a second and it feels even shorter, but the action causes Eddie’s coherent thoughts to completely fizzle out into mindless white noise. 

On the other hand, Richie’s jaw drops and his eyes go wide as he looks over. “Wh—WHAT—?!” 

“I like you,” Eddie stutters out, his thoughts still completely useless in giving him any other dialogue.

“Is this a joke?” Richie narrows his eyes all of the sudden. “It’s not—This isn’t funny. Did Bowers tell you something? He’s lying. Tell me he didn’t put you up to this—“

“Richie.” Eddie glares at him. “Bowers didn’t tell me shit. And this isn’t some joke; I like you.”

Richie frowns, still cautious. “Did you—Did you kiss me? Did you actually like, kiss me?”

Regret flashes in Eddie’s eyes and he subconsciously moves back from Richie. “I—I just thought—“

“Thought what?”

“I thought you liked me too,” Eddie says sharply. “I guess I was wrong, though. Sorry.”

He gets up from the swing, but Richie quickly takes his wrist. 

“Wait! Please wait,” Richie pleads. “Do you mean it?”

“Mean what, Richie?” Eddie pulls his wrist away. “That I like you? Yeah, of course, asshole. I wouldn’t just go around kissing just anybody! Do you know how many germs are in the human mouth? There are about—“

Richie stands up and tries to smoothly lean in and kiss Eddie, but his energetic limbs work too quick, and Richie slams his nose into Eddie’s.

Eddie pulls back in mostly shock, putting a hand to his nose which is definitely hurting. They look at each other; really look at each other—Richie’s face is splotchy red with blush, while Eddie just seems to look confused by the entire ordeal—and then promptly begin to double over and shake with laughter.

Somewhere along their laughter, they end up falling in the grass, their hands intertwined tightly and held closely to their hearts. The grass is supposed to be scratchy and full of allergens, from what Mrs. Kaspbrak has informed, but the grass has never been so lovely and Eddie never wanted to leave.

“I like you too,” Richie said in the quiet as the two watched the sun set into the sky powdered in purple, blue, and orange clouds.

“Like like?” Eddie grins.

“Maybe.”

The two share another laugh and squeeze their hands. 

Fear has been displaced once again by something far more important—Love.


	3. letters, weddings, and washing machines

Derry, Maine was a faded town now. It’s charm was mostly worn out and many of the children who had grown in the suburbs of the area had moved on to bigger and better things. 

Maggie Tozier was old now too, with grey hair and wrinkled hands, and smile lines around her kind eyes that proved a life of long lasting love. Her children had grown up, and her favourite past time was opening the letters they sent consistently.

This is what she was doing now, when the sun was shining through the flower-printed curtains of her kitchen. 

The envelope was a creme white, with gold trimmings and even an incredibly expensive looking wax seal to top it off. After some careful work, the envelope was opened to reveal a letter of the same variety of prestige.

The letter read:

‘You are invited to the wedding of Richie Tozier and Edward Kaspbrak—Please join us in celebrating the joining of these two men in matrimony by selecting the check mark if you are able to make it. We hope to see you there.

Lovingly, the soon-to-be husbands’

With a warm smile and the slight misting of tears, Maggie checked off a ‘yes’ and sent the letter back in the mail, already planning her speech in her mind.

And it would be a brilliant speech, beginning with the story of a boy who sat on her washing machine with worry in his eyes but enough love in his heart to do the seemingly impossible—and he did.

Fin.


End file.
